Report: Newport-to-Ensenada sailboat likely sank after human error

A screen grab from video taken August 9 shows Ed Harris, a San Diego lifeguard, with what they say is a piece of the crashed 37-foot Aegean near the tip of an island off Baja California. The Aegean crashed during the Newport Beach-to-Ensenada race four months ago, killing all four men aboard. COURTESY OF RUSSELL MOORE

NEWPORT BEACH – An "inadequate lookout" likely played a key role in a boating accident that claimed the lives of four sailors during the Newport-to-Ensenada Yacht Race earlier this year, according to a report released Tuesday by US Sailing, the sport's national governing body.

The report, based on findings of an independent panel set up by US Sailing, also said it's likely that the Aegean was on autopilot and that it motored in a straight line beyond a GPS waypoint before smashing into the tip of an island in Mexican waters in the early-morning darkness of April 28.

Killed in the crash were skipper Theo Mavromatis, 49, of Redondo Beach and crew members William Reed Johnson Jr., 57, of Torrance, Kevin Rudolph, 53, of Manhattan Beach, and Joseph Lester Stewart, 64, of Bradenton, Fla.

The family of Mavromatis criticized US Sailing in June when, based on preliminary analysis, it said the 37-foot Hunter 376 likely collided with the island instead of a much larger vessel, which was the prevailing theory when the obliterated remains of the Aegean were found several hours after its GPS tracking system stopped transmitting at around 1:26 a.m. on April 28.

The Mavromatis family was critical of US Sailing for issuing preliminary findings before all of the evidence had been examined.

Along with relatives of the other three deceased sailors, the Mavromatis family continues to wait for the U.S. Coast Guard to release its official conclusions regarding the tragedy, which marked the first deaths in the 65-year history of the 125-mile race, sponsored by the Newport Ocean Sailing Association.

Results of the Coast Guard investigation are pending, Petty Officer 1st Class Henry G. Dunphy at the USCG in San Diego said Tuesday.

Anna Mavromati, a daughter of Theo Mavromatis, criticized US Sailing's official report.

"To my knowledge, they have nothing to back the claims they are making," said Anna Mavromati (the females in the family drop the s in their surname). "They have been rude and inappropriate to members of all the families involved. I don't think what they are doing is helping anybody but themselves in getting more publicity.

"At the end of the day, we just miss my dad."

A lookout's task on a boat is to prevent a collision, according to the International Maritime Organization. US Sailing determined that an inadequate lookout on the Aegean was "the proximal cause of the accident."

There were no survivors and no eyewitnesses to the Aegean accident.

US Sailing said it based its findings on a SPOT Connect GPS tracking device aboard the Aegean that tracked its position, course and speed, the times of SPOT Connect text transmissions made during the race, published material, press reports including accounts of the San Diego County coroner's report and the results of its toxicology analysis, interviews with race organizers, participants and past crew aboard the Aegean, wreckage found at North Coronado Island and in the debris field and under water at North Coronado Island.

In its report, US Sailing said that none of the four sailors were found wearing life jackets, although Stewart was found wearing a safety harness but no tether.

Mavromatis, Rudolph and Johnson died of blunt-force trauma, according to the San Diego County coroner's office, while Stewart died of drowning due to traumatic injuries. There was no evidence of alcohol or high levels of carbon monoxide detected in the sailors' bodies.

US Sailing recommended that at least two people be kept on watch at all times and that audible waypoint and radar alarms be used.

Sailing conditions were ideal when the Aegean crashed, with a swell of 1.5 feet and wind waves up to 4.6 feet, according to the report. The Aegean was traveling at a consistent speed of 7.1 knots (8.2 mph) for nearly four hours before hitting the island, US Sailing concluded. The Aegean did not transmit any distress calls.

US Sailing said the objective of its report is to reduce the chance of similar tragedies by identifying the contributing factors leading up to the incident. Officials will be making a presentation on the findings of its probe into the Aegean crash at US Sailing's annual meeting Thursday in San Francisco.

A screen grab from video taken August 9 shows Ed Harris, a San Diego lifeguard, with what they say is a piece of the crashed 37-foot Aegean near the tip of an island off Baja California. The Aegean crashed during the Newport Beach-to-Ensenada race four months ago, killing all four men aboard. COURTESY OF RUSSELL MOORE
The demolished remains of the Aegean, a 37-foot yacht that sank in April during the Newport-to-Ensenada Yacht Race – killing all four sailors aboard – have been found off the tip of an island near Baja California, according to a San Diego sailor and a seasoned lifeguard conducting an unofficial investigation of the accident. US Sailing, the sport's national governing body, that the Aegean ran aground on the north tip of the northernmost of Mexico's Coronado Islands. This is the northernmost Coronado Island, which is also home to a lighthouse, Mexican naval installation and was, at one point, home to one of gangster Al Capone's off-shore casino operations. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
This April 27 photo shows the Aegean with crew members at the start of a 125-mile Newport Beach to Ensenada, Mexico yacht race. The 37-foot Aegean, carrying a crew of four, was reported missing the next day, the U.S. Coast Guard said. LINK TO STORY: http://patch.com/A-sPbD SUSAN HOFFMAN, NEWPORTBEACH.PATCH.COM

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